Presently there are many different types of stretchers available for use in the field—for example at the site of an automobile or skiing accident or military operation. Particularly in field conditions, improvised emergency devices must be used for victims because special equipment suitable for every unique situation is simply not available.
While it would be desirable to have specialized and precisely-adapted rescue and transportation devices available at all times for every emergency, whether in a city, country, military action, water, snow, ice, gullies, cliffs, vehicles etc., such is usually not the case. Whatever is on hand is used.
Additionally, while there are many types of stretchers in existence none really suites all of the possible applications. For example, a conventional stretcher is generally 18 inches wide×72 inches long, comes in one, solid piece and is called a “long board” stretcher. There are also 32 inch long “short board” stretchers available, for use for example, in removing a victim from a vehicle. In fact, most ambulances are required to carry both a 72 inch “long board” and a 32 inch “short board”. This two-board arrangement presents several problems. The main problem is that, especially in the case of a possible spinal injury, if a person is first extricated from the vehicle using a 32 inch short board, that person, once extricated, will have to then be moved onto a full length 72 inch long board for transport. Such multiple handling of the victim increases the chance for permanent damage to the victim, especially in the case of a spinal injury. In addition, rescuers must carry two different types of boards, each one only useful for certain limited purposes. The 32 inch short board is useful for extrication, but doesn't stabilize the whole body and is not used for transport. The 72 inch long board stabilizes the body to some extent but is often too large to fit into many places where a victim is found and is awkward to carry. In a case for example with a small ravine or vehicle, only the short board can be carried in to the victim initially, then the victim must be carried out in a less than desirable position on the shot board before transfer can be made to the 72 inch long board.
Another example in which current stretchers are not ideal is the skiing industry. Because most stretchers are 18 inches wide and not all ski patrol sleds are 18 inches wide, many conventional stretchers are too wide to fit in the sleds used by ski patrollers to bring injured people off a mountain. Thus the patient may not be put on a stretcher initially, and will have to be moved to a stretcher once he is brought off the mountain.
A further area where current stretchers are not ideal is in military operations. Often a medic will have to go to the victim without a stretcher because conventional stretchers are too big to be carried, for example, on the back of a medic, especially during a parachute jump. Additionally, only so many large stretchers can be carried in a helicopter. Finally, carrying conventional stretchers occupies the rescuer's hands, thus limiting what else the rescuer can carry and operate.
Another problem with conventional stretchers and the current state of the art is that while conventional stretchers are padded to protect the victim the padding is essentially permanently attached to the stretcher. This non-removable padding prevents easy thorough cleaning of the stretcher. The padding is cleaned as well as possible while remaining on the stretcher. The same is true for most padding used to cushion the head of a victim. It is non-removable and not easily cleaned. Cleaning rescue and transport equipment after serious injuries, especially where blood and other bodily fluids have soiled the padding, is especially crucial today to prevent the spread of AIDS and other new diseases.
A further shortfall of current stretchers for use in the field is that while most are able to provide basic stabilization for the head and spine of the victim, they can not provide traction to the spine of the victim in the field to prevent further spinal injury during rescue and transport. Generally when a body is immobilized, for example on a stretcher, a certain amount of movement of the skeletal structure relative to the body envelope in response to acceleration forces (both positive and negative) during rescue and transport can not be avoided. But, it is desirable that the entire skeletal structure, including the skull, move together if they are going to move. Of course all such movement should be kept to a minimum, and this is particularly important with cervical spine injuries. However, with conventional stretcher restraint devices, the restraint devices are attached over the skin of the victim, and the head is immobilized, thus leaving the skeletal structure movable within the skin envelope while the skull is not able to move with the rest of the skeletal structure, thus creating risk for additional injury during rescue and transport. Such movement of the victim's skeletal structure happens mostly due to the gravity force vector.
Normally the position of a victim on a stretcher is supine, with the body resting on a rigid base—i.e. the stretcher. However, it is often necessary to tilt the stretcher during rescue, either by rotation around the longitudinal axis of the stretcher or in the vertical plane of the spine. For example, in the case of a victim vomiting the stretcher and victim would have to be turned on his/her side to keep the victim's airway open.
It is also often necessary to tilt or turn the stretcher to negotiate inclines, stairways, narrow passageways, etc. Thus the means by which the victim is attached or strapped to the stretcher must be able to resist snagging and be secure enough to keep the victim on the stretcher. Yet it is also essential that any rotating and/or tilting which changes the gravity force vector relative to the spinal axis does not cause appreciable tensional or compressive forces on the spine or neck due to the weight of the head and body during such rotating and/or tilting.
As the skeletal structure shifts within the body envelope in response to all the forces, the spatial relationship of the skull to the rest of the skeleton must be maintained, especially in the case of spinal injuries. However, as noted above, most conventional stretchers do not prevent movement of the skeleton with respect to the skin envelope, even if the head is immobilized, thus leaving the victim open to possible additional injury from the skeletal structure moving while the skull is immobilized.
There is, however, at least one stretcher currently available that can provide traction to the spine in the field, but the device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,863 to Harrington, suffers from other shortfalls noted above. For example, the padding for the head and body is non-removable and the stretcher is a one-piece conventional 72 inch length. Thus, while the Harrington device can provide traction, the stretcher does not fit into every location and a patient may still have to be transported to some extent on a 32 inch conventional short board first and risk additional spinal or other damage from being transferred between the short board used for immediate rescue and the Harrington board used for transport.
Additionally, many conventional stretchers are made of wood that is heavy, can not be x-rayed and can absorb bodily fluids which is highly undesirable in these days of AIDS and other dangerous bodily-fluid borne viruses.
Thus, it would be desirable to have a light-weight, totally portable, collapsible yet extendable rescue device that can fully and completely stabilize a victim and provide cervical traction in the field. It would also be desirable to have a rescue device that can be used all the way from initial rescue to transport to emergency room and x-ray without having to transfer the victim to multiple stretchers, beds, etc. before the extent of the victim's injuries is determined. In addition, it would be desirable to have a stretcher or rescue device that has padding that is easily removable and washable such that both the stretcher and padding can be easily and completely cleaned.